A San Diego County woman who shot and killed her four children failed Monday to win a reprieve from the California Supreme Court, which voted unanimously to uphold her death sentence. In a ruling written by Justice Ming W. Chin, the state's highest court rejected an automatic appeal by Susan Dianne Eubanks, who was convicted of murdering her sons, Brandon, 14; Austin, 7; Brigham, 6; and Matthew, 4, in October 1997. After drinking and taking tranquilizers, Eubanks put a revolver to the temple of Brandon and shot him, according to the court's opinion.

Healthcare expenses for U.S. employers are expected to increase next year at the lowest rate in more than a decade, but the cost of benefits for workers is likely to outpace the growth of their earnings, a national survey has found. Companies expect their bills for health benefits to rise 5.4% on average next year, the smallest increase since 1997, according to preliminary results from a survey of nearly 1,600 employers by benefits consulting firm Mercer. The smaller increase reflects cost-cutting efforts by employers.

In a major effort to create more high-tech jobs, Gov. Jerry Brown is sponsoring legislation to extend a state program that collects about $400 million a year from utility customers and invests it in renewable energy and efficiency programs. The surcharge, added to monthly electric bills since 1997, is set to expire at the end of the year, and the Legislature has only two weeks to reauthorize the levy. But because the surcharge is a tax, the bill has to be passed by a two-thirds majority of the Legislature.

Despite near-record-low mortgage rates and the cheapest housing prices in eight years, home lending has slipped this year to the lowest level since 1997. The laggard loan market can be explained in part by the slow economy, numerous foreclosures and the proliferation of "underwater" loans, those that exceed the value of the properties they secure. But other factors are compounding the problem, including so-called refi burnout — how many times, after all, can one refinance a home?

Same rules, yes. Even playing field? Not so much. Just because National and American league teams either both use a designated hitter or let their pitchers hit in interleague play doesn't mean that they are on equal footing. NL teams who play in AL parks often must contend with a feared designated hitter such as David Ortiz or Vladimir Guerrero. The challenge isn't always so daunting for the AL teams in those contests. They largely face DHs drawn from utility players and journeymen who otherwise wouldn't crack the lineup.

Women in large swaths of the U.S. are dying younger than they were a generation ago, reversing nearly a century of progress in public health and underscoring the rising toll of smoking and record obesity. Nationwide, life expectancy for American men and women has risen over the last two decades, and some U.S. communities still boast life expectancies as long as any in the world, according to newly released data. But over the last decade, the nation has experienced a widening gap between the most and least healthy places to live.

Treasury official Gene Sperling, expected to be named as President Obama's top economic aide, has two important qualifications that experts said probably helped him secure the job: He's done it before and he's dealt with a hostile Congress. Sperling, 52, held the same White House position ? director of the National Economic Council ? from 1997 through 2000 under President Clinton. He was a key negotiator with the Republican-controlled Congress then over economic issues, such as preventing cuts to the earned-income tax credit for low-wage families.

In 1992, Debi Austin had a laryngectomy after she was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. Austin had smoked her first cigarette at 13 and, even after surgery, remained a two- to three-pack-a-day smoker. The image of her smoking through the hole in her throat in a 1997 state-sponsored anti-smoking ad has remained indelible. In the ad she said: "They say nicotine isn't addictive. " She took a puff and asked: "How can they say that?" Austin, of Canoga Park, finally quit smoking months after the ad aired.

Facing the prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997, the New Jersey Devils fired rookie coach John MacLean on Thursday and brought back the firm hand of Jacques Lemaire to try to salvage the season. The Devils have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL this season. New Jersey has the fewest points in the league with 20 in 33 games (9-23-2) and is last in the NHL in goals with 60 goals. The 65-year-old Lemaire received a loud ovation from the crowd at the Prudential Center when he introduced before Thursday night's game against the Islanders.